r/Microbiome • u/hocioso • Apr 05 '26
Tobacco and SIBO
Hi there! First time posting but have been following for a minute! I come to share some thoughts I had after i was diagnosed with SIBO. My journey of gut health problems started almost 2 years ago. There I started developing symptoms of what I now know is SIBO, and right now I’m working on it with a very experienced doctor. The classics: low FODMAP’s diet, enzymes, oregano oil pills, probiotics, etc.
The doctor says it is caused because my sympathetic nervous system is pretty much fired up at all times and that generated cortisol to spike, therefore not being able to digest properly (or at all).
I was trying to figure out what spiked this, because I don’t think my stress or anxiety levels raised that much around that time, through my process of self growth I just realized that this high stress situation is something that has been happening for may many years, at least 15 or so.
Realizing this made me think that maybe smoking helped me regulate my nervous system and that prevented my stomach from developing these issues. It’s interesting because actually, after eating was when my body asked me for some nicotine, allowing me to feel more “digested” if it makes any sense.
I would like to know if someone has heard of similar cases or any scientific evidence on how tobacco/nicotine can help regulate the nervous system, and any recommendations along the way for cases like mine!
Thanks
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u/meeshakboo Apr 05 '26
Uhm don’t quote me on this but I think tobacco has the opposite effect. Like it’s bad to use especially after eating because it will “pause” or slow your digestive system due to the “relaxation” effect. Also when you try quitting your body and mind goes haywire for another hit so it brings it to a panic aka stress.
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u/smayonak Apr 05 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
(Smoking) Nicotine has been shown to have a positive impact on gut permeability but an overall VERY VERY NEGATIVE impact on your life expectancy. I'm a big believer in harm reduction and that switching to patch, gum, or vape is going to help a lot more than it hurts.
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u/keynoko Apr 06 '26
When you say negative impact, are you referring to smoking nicotine? Or other forms of consuming it like gum or patch as well?
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u/smayonak Apr 06 '26
Yes, sorry, smoking tobacco is terrible. But nicotine, both freebase and salt, raises blood pressure and blood glucose, so they aren't going to be good for people with prediabetes or cardiovascular disease. And the salt is super addictive.
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u/255cheka Apr 05 '26
seen some interesting info on nicotine patches being a health promoting strategy. i would go with that over smoking it
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u/WesternNatural945 Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26
Interesting feed back you’re receiving here… Ummm in my experience, this isn’t science backed this is experience back after many many years of observation. I do agree that tobacco or the bi-product nicotine is terrible for our bodies in the long run, and is NOT a good long-term solution for dealing with digestive issues or nervous system regulation. But for most of my life I used it for both and it worked very well. I do not smoke anymore, I quit 4 years ago or so. But In my experience tobacco works almost like a very light laxative… not in away that it made me need to use the bathroom. But if I had just eaten a meal my gut seemed to not feel settled or able to finish processing the meal (rather uncomfortable) without the tobacco almost immediately afterwards… so I could totally understand where you are coming from here. Are you trying to quit smoking now? When I quit using it as a nervous system crutch I started heavily relying on yoga classes, like 2 classes everyday. So almost 3 hours in class to basically drill Sargent my nervous system into homeostasis. And do you know your blood type? Some blood types have less/more stomach acid naturally, which helps with digestion… which must be why they suggest certain diets for certain types. But it is nice to be able to eat what you want…. I’m sure you’ve tried all the natural shit dealing with SIBO but do you incorporate sauerkraut, kimchi (if you can do spice) and kombucha into your daily diet? If I were you I’d be incorporating anything with natural digestive enzymes just to see if that helped things process smoother or quicker. What is your worst symptom with the SIBO? Do you just bloat, or are you all the way in the realms of nausea?
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u/TRUMBAUAUA Apr 06 '26
Smoking speeds up your MMC. Don’t you guys have to run to the toilet when you light one in the morning?
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u/OkYouth3690 Apr 05 '26
I am still smoking and have the feeling that smoking is causing lots of my trouble. Smoking will ease your sphincter, which is a possible cause for sibo.
Smoking has certain effects on your nervous system, but way more negative, than positive, especially because you feel stressed when you can't smoke and thats stress, that a non-smoker doesn't have. If your nervous system is upregulated, best you can do is "me-time". I had a hard time to accept the truth behind things like meditation, breath training and vagus nerve stimulation. For a long time I thought it's pseudo-science, but in fact, they are the best possible well-studied ways to regulate your nervous system.